Future space exploration missions require high performance inertial measurement systems for navigation, guidance, and attitude control. Micromachined vibratory gyroscopes are promising candidates to replace conventional gyroscopes for future miniature spacecraft control and avionics applications while simultaneously satisfying stringent physical requirements of low mass, volume, power and cost. U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,090 to Tang et al., assigned to the same assignees as the present invention, describes such a micromachined vibratory gyroscope and is incorporated by reference in its entirety into the present disclosure. The techniques described in Tang et al. can also be used in the fabrication of the present invention. At times accelerometers are required to be part of these inertial measurement systems. There is therefore a need for a micromachined inertial sensor combining rotation and acceleration measurement functions to greatly reduce the complexity, mass, volume and power of such inertial measurement systems. It is also desirable for such an inertial sensor to be economical yet accurate and reliable.
The inertial sensor and method of use of the present invention provides an accurate and reliable, yet compact, light-weight, and relatively simple accelerometer and gyroscope combination, or alternatively provides a stand-alone accelerometer.
A resonator structure with two perfectly degenerate, or same frequency, modes can be made to move in an arbitrary motion that is a linear combination of the two modes. Furthermore, the mode shapes of the two modes are orthogonal, but otherwise arbitrarily defined. The inertial sensor of the present invention utilizes a proof mass suspended from spring structures forming a nearly degenerate resonant structure into which a perturbation is introduced, causing a split in frequency of the two modes so that the mode shape becomes uniquely defined, and to the first order, remains orthogonal. The resonator is provided with a mass or inertia tensor with off-diagonal elements. These off-diagonal elements are large enough to change the mode shape of the two nearly degenerate modes from the original coordinate frame. The spring tensor is then provided with a compensating off-diagonal element, such that the mode shape is again defined in the original coordinate frame. The compensating off-diagonal element in the spring tensor is provided by a biasing voltage that softens certain elements in the spring tensor. Acceleration disturbs the compensation and the mode shape again changes from the original coordinate frame. By measuring the change in the mode shape, the acceleration is measured.
One embodiment of the inertial sensor of the present invention measures acceleration or acceleration and rotation by using a proof mass having a defined center and a mass imbalance such that the center of mass of the structure is spaced from the defined center; the proof mass is suspended from a frame by spring structures; drive circuitry rocks the proof mass about a rocking axis passing through the defined center; bias circuitry supplies a voltage to compensate for the mass imbalance; sensing circuitry measures acceleration by detecting the change of a mode shape of the proof mass; and output circuitry generates a signal indicating the acceleration.
In one embodiment the method of the present invention is performed by rocking a proof mass about a first rocking axis passing through a defined center; supplying a bias voltage to compensate for a mass imbalance of the proof mass; measuring acceleration by detecting change of a mode shape of the proof mass; and outputting a signal indicating the acceleration.